Software Functionality Revealed in Detail
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The simplified definition of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software is a set of applications that automate finance and human resources departments and help manufacturers handle jobs such as order processing and production scheduling. ERP began as a term used to describe a sophisticated and integrated software system used for manufacturing. In its simplest sense, ERP systems create interactive environments designed to help companies manage and analyze the business processes associated with manufacturing goods, such as inventory control, order taking, accounting, and much more. Although this basic definition still holds true for ERP systems, today its definition is expanding.
Today's leading ERP systems group all traditional company management functions (finance, sales, manufacturing, human resources) and include, with varying degrees of acceptance and skill, many solutions that were formerly considered peripheral (product data management (PDM), warehouse management, manufacturing execution system (MES), reporting, etc.). While during the last few years the functional perimeter of ERP systems began an expansion into its adjacent markets, such as supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), business intelligence/data warehousing, and e-Business, the focus of this knowledge base is mainly on the traditional ERP realms of finance, materials planning, and human resources. The old adage is "Such a beginning, such an end", and, consequently, many ERP systems' failures could be traced back to a bad software selection. The foundation of any ERP implementation must be a proper exercise of aligning customers' IT technology with their business strategy, and subsequent software selection. This is the perfect time to create the business case and energize the entire organization towards the vision sharing and a buy in, both being the Key Success Factors (KSFs). Yet, these steps are very often neglected despite the amount of expert literature and articles that emphasize their importance.

Most chief executive officers (CEOs) have developed strategies that push their companies to achieve certain goals. So why are so many companies failing to achieve these goals? Because their twenty-first century vision is being held back by twentieth century processes and IT systems. The missing ingredient: information. And the key to facilitating the flow of information lies in integrated processes.

The envisioned integration with Wonderware's FactorySuite 2000 will allow Protean users to solve shop floor problems with all production data collected and made instantly available. We believe that within the next 4 years Marcam will gradually shift its focus to plant integration and operations applications, while de-emphasizing its financial and order management components and relying on interfaces with other ERP vendors.

While 2000 was a difficult year for Infinium, resulting in a focus shift and significant restructuring, the company entered 2001 with an expanded product offering and the determination to gain more visibility within its target markets.

Owing to learning from the past experiences and to the help of specialized selection service providers, selecting an enterprise package has to a degree, become a routine occurrence in the life of an IT organization. Recently however, there has been much noise created by some pundits and vendors belittling the supposedly "archaic" way of selecting software through functions and features. Contrary to that, they would rather sell "business processes" or "solutions," further confusing the already overwhelmed customer. The nagging doubts and questions like "Have we been selecting software the wrong way all this time?!" naturally abound.

Winston Churchill once said, “Personally, I’m always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.” Formal training and informal learning can be combined to create powerful education opportunities for groups and for individuals. Include personalization in the mix and you have a recipe for almost certain success. It sounds straightforward, but is the implementation of such programs as simple as it seems?

This report outlines 10 recommendations for companies to advance its human resources (HR) technology strategy. From conducting a global systems inventory and redeploying software to recalibrating talent strategies and targeting critical roles to focusing on end-user experience and tapping social collaboration, it offers easy-to-implement recommendations to help organizations d position themselves for long-term success.

Combining process industry–oriented product lifecycle management capabilities with process manufacturing–oriented enterprise resource planning ones can help alleviate many of the challenges particular to the process manufacturers, especially in the areas of product development and regulatory compliance.

Process manufacturers can no longer rely on purely reactive strategies to product safety. Now, reactive strategies such as lot tracking need to be incorporated into holistic strategies that include proactive measures to assess risk and prevent costly quality assurance (QA) events like product recalls. Learn how you can develop a product safety master plan that reduces risk, protects products, and improves profitability.

It is a challenging time for Oracle EnterpriseOne (E1) users. Organizations must contain IT costs and still meet business demands. In many cases, pressures to improve performance and increase efficiency are magnified by today’s economic conditions. One solution is to employ—or continue to employ—the IBM Power server platform and i for core E1 systems. Learn how four different installations fared with this solution.